Map Idea__________________
This map idea stems from the Magic the Gathering "Thallid" creature cards.
Thallids are a kind of fungus creature, known for their ability to regrow from any situation. Thallids have the following effects:
"At the beginning of your upkeep, put a spore counter on Thallid.
Remove three spore counters from Thallid: Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token in play"

Additionaly some Thallids have effect that they can activate
by sacrificing a Saproling, such as regeneration, bonus att/def and many other effects.

I developed this idea further, and decided that Thallids should be able to grow into different types, but still be able to make more Thallids.

The Game__________________
So far this is what i have:

You begin the game as a gardener, with just a single Thallid seed. You plant the seed where you want and your Thallid grows. You can water the seed to encourage its growth or fertilize it. I imagine that mana would represent growth, and when it reaches half mana it will automatically (through an autocast ability) spawn a smaller Thallid, which will then grow to maturity and spawn more, etc. Alternately you could prevent it from spawning more and grow it into a more complex Thallid, such as a Thallid Germinator, or a Shell dweller, etc.

You can water your Thallids, giving Thallids in AOE increased mana regen for a short duration, or you can fertilize it, giving it more increased mana regen, but health degen. All Thallids regen at a rate of 1 per second

Gardener stats and abilities:

Gardener

Stats:

Health

Mana

Damage

Abilities

Notes

100

100

50

Water, Fertiliser, Trim, Cultivation. Can upgrade to use Fungal Bloom, Night Soil, and Protector of Thallids

Can transport Thallid seeds and Spores to different areas for growing.

Abilities:

Name

Card

Mana cost

Cooldown

Cast time

Research cost*

Duration

Effect

Water

No card

10

20

0

N/A

10 seconds

Increases all Thallids and Spores within 250 AOE mana regeneration by 100%.

Fertiliser

No card

30

30

2.5 seconds

N/A

Multiple Durations

Increases mana regen of all Thallids and Spores within 100 AOE by 500%, but drains 1 health for 5 seconds. For 10 seconds the targets gain 5 armor

All Thallids gain this effect: For every other rooted Thallid within 500 range the Thallid gains +25% mana regeneration and +.25 health regen

Dark Sap

70

2

30

Gives all Thallids Dark Sap: Enemy Spores that stay within 300 range for 5 seconds will become under your control. Increases the range of Bramble Wreathed to 500, and prevents it from targeting Spores under the effect of Dark Sap

Corrupting Sap

90

4

30

Allows the production of Woodwraith Corrupters, which have Dark Sap, but can target a single Thallids aswell (but not other Woodwraiths). They also allows Bramble Wreath to target Thallids. Requires Dark Sap to research

There will be many types of Thallids with different abilities:

Thallid Types

Table:

Thallid name

Thallid MTG Card

Fungal Cost

Sustain Cost

Max Mana/Health/Attack

Spawns

Upgrades too

Notes

Thallid

1

1

60/10/10

Spawns Spores

Upgrades to all other Thallids, at special cost of -1 per 30 mana.

Basic Thallid, has no special effects

Thallid Shell-Dweller

2

1

60/50/0

Spawns Spores

No upgrades

Defensive Thallid, returns %50 of the damage taken to its attacker

Sporesower Thallid

4

2

60/40/40

Spawns Spores

No upgrades

Spawns a Spore at 20 mana, instead of 30.

Thallid Germinator

3

2

90/20/20

Spawns Thallids

No upgrades

Thallids spawned will gain a 100% damage and health increase buff for 5 seconds after spawning

Savage Thallid

5

3

60/50/20

Spawns Spores

No upgrades

Can eat a Spore to cause all friendly Thallids within 500 range to regenerate 500% faster for 5 seconds

Deathspore Thallid

2

1

60/10/10

Spawns Spores

Can upgrade to Devourer at -2 cost. Can only upgrade when at full mana.

Can eat a Spore to cause all enemy Thallids within 500 range to lose 10 health and 10 damage for 5 seconds

Thallid Devourer

3

2

60/20/20

Spawns Spores

No Upgrades

Can eat a Spore to gain +10 damage and +20 health for 10 seconds

Thorn Thallid

3

2

60/20/20

Spawns Spores

No Upgrades

Can eat a Thallid to gain +600 range and -10 damage for the next attack

Vitaspore Thallid

2

1

60/10/10

Spawns Spores

No Upgrades

Instead of spawning Spores you can activate Haste, which gives Thallids and Spores within 500 range increased move and attack speeds

Phsycotrope Thallid

3

2

60/10/10

Spawns Spores

No Upgrades

Instead of spawning Spores you can activate Growth, which gives all friendly Thallids in 500 range +.5 mana regen

Woodwraith Corrupter

8

4

60/60/30

Spawns Spores

No Upgrades

Requires Corrupting Sap cultivation. Enemy Thallids that stay in 300 range for 5 seconds are put under your control, can only target one Thallid at a time. Also uses Dark Sap. At a cost of 30 mana the Corrupter can convert a Spore into a Thallid Horror for 60 seconds. The Spore is destroyed.

Thallid Horror

No Card

N/A

Max of 5 at a time

60/40/40

Doesn't spawn

Doesn't Upgrade

Has Dark Mould: for 15 mana (auto cast) the Horror can slow all enemies in 350 range and prevent them from regenerating for 5 seconds. Can't produce Fungal Counters.

Spore

No Card

N/A

Max of 25 at a time

30/5/0

Doesn't Spawn

Upgrades into Thallids, Shell Dwelers and Sporesowers at regular cost, and others at +1 cost. Can only upgrade when at full mana.

Takes 5 seconds to build, at 50% mana it has an auto cast ability to make ground within 300 range un-buildable to enemies. Can be converted into item form to be carried by Gardener. Has no mana regen, draws mana from soil alone (see below)

For every 60 seconds that a Thallid (not a spore) is at full mana you gain +1 Fungal Counter, which can be used to upgrade Thallids and Spores.

You have a maximum of 30 total Sustain points, this is the maximum that the area could possibly sustain. You also have a maximum of 5 Thallid Horrors, and 25 Spores.

All Thallids can use Uproot, giving them slow movement, but -1 mana regeneration. They can then Root to regain mana regeneration, but lose movement.

Eventually you will grow a lovely garden of thallids, and have many species. You will fight for control over the map against other gardeners, using moving thallids to assault, or air born spores to infiltrate the enemies territory.
Massing will be discouraged due to more power for cash (ie 25 hp = 1 gold, 75 hp = 2 gold, better value for the 2 gold one).

You then fight it out and someone wins.

Terrain__________________
However the ground can become over crowded. I will use a system like the popular tower defense Power Towers, your Thallids will draw extra regeneration from the very ground. They will such the mana from the grass at the 'Bonus Regen rate', and the tile will regen its supplies at the 'Tile Regen rate'. When it reaches 0 mana, it is downgraded. Your Thallid will take the mana from the most common type of tile within range. For every 100 the Thallid is from the tile its effect is reduced by .5 mana. Multiple Thallids can tap into the same tile causing even more degen for that tile.

If a tile reaches 0 mana, it down grades, if it reaches full mana it upgrades. When an upgrade or downgrade occurs the tile begins with 50% mana. Dark Grass is the highest, Cracked Earth is the lowest.

Table:

#

Tile

Tile Regen/Bonus Regen

Capacity

1

Dark Grass

1/3

40

2

Grass

2/2

100

3

Grassy Dirt

2/2

50

4

Dirt

3/1

60 (begins at 20 mana)

5

Cracked Earth

1/.5

80 (begins at 20 mana)

In addition, Dirt gives a health degen of -1, and Cracked Earth gives a degen of -2 to any unit partially on top of it.